joyful2beeblogs

My life has been enriched by my family, the families of my original family, my own family, and my friend-families. I have many happy memories of holidays from my childhood. My family was a very close one. We actually enjoyed traveling, eating, working, and singing together. As we got older, married, had children, or not, distance separated most of us.

My first sister moved to Brooklyn, NY, and later all the way to Idaho to live with her husband near their daughter and her three kids. She and her husband have since moved to Maryland. My second sister moved first to Georgia and later settled in Missouri. Each marrying and moving according to their husband’s career or family needs. My brother stayed in the city where we grew up and married a wonderful lady. He cared for our parents and our aunt as they aged until they all passed away. I moved to New Orleans and later ended up in North Carolina.

The family gatherings with my siblings on rare occasions such as deaths or weddings were always brimming with sharing and feelings of love, teasing, and of course remembering the times we shared with our parents and each other.

Years ago, I went to visit my sister and her family in Idaho. She and her husband had a cozy house near their only daughter and her three teenagers. Their daughter, my niece, is also a nurse, like our mother, sister, grandmother, cousin, and me.

On that visit, I saw my great niece and nephews for the first time in 9 years. It was a delight to reconnect with family and actually share meals with them. My first sister has two sons, each with a wife and children, and the youngest son passed away unexpectedly in 2021. Their daughter is in college, as is my niece’s oldest son.

I visited my second sister and her husband after that winter passed. My brother and his family live in South Carolina, I haven’t seen them in four years due to my back problems.

Although we live far apart, we are bound together by the love we have for each other and for the love we shared with our parents. I wish everyone could have had the family life we shared growing up. No matter how many adult kids we have or how many grandchildren we have, we are bound together as family.

Each family spreads out as it grows. One nephew lives in South Carolina, another in Virginia, another lived in New York. The great nieces and nephews that I have will spread out even further, and I may lose touch with them. But they are still my family, and I love them all and treasure the times we shared with each other.

The vast gaps between our homes are mostly bridged by Facebook, an occasional call or text, and plenty of thoughts. We share pictures and experiences via the internet; message, text, or call each other in an effort to continue to be a part of each other’s lives. Often, we share memories from the past. But we all watch as our nieces and nephews have grown up in our far-flung families.

Have you noticed that when our childhood families move far away, we create new families with our own children and close friends. In this way, we often can have new families with new memories surrounding ourselves with warmth and closeness.
The truth of the matter is most of us need some kind of family-like relationship with other people. These friend families can fill the need for familiarity, formation of new memories, and often the support that the first family usually provided.

With so many miles between them and between me and my original family, I have a close family of sister friends. We call to say hi; check on each other; make movie or meal dates; depend on each other when sick of suffering some urgent or stressful situations. We have fun with each other by traveling, going to the movies, or just visiting each other’s homes. Our friendships are understanding, compassionate, open, and accepting of our minor personality differences. We teach, emotionally, support, provide a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen to whatever needs expressing.

We have known each other well since most of us have traveled, eaten, cooked, roomed and laughed with each other for years. Most of us found each other through common interests and all, except one of my friends through our careers in the same hospital. We have all shared some difficult times together and love each other like sisters. Do you have friend families? How did you meet? What experiences do you share?

I have lived in a condominium for ten years. I have grown so fond of each neighbor that I like to think of us as a sort of family. I believe any of us would help the other if needed and able. I find that I have a family here to add to my biological and friend-families.

I am so thankful for my family, the families of my original family, my own family, and my friend-families, the memories and times we share, and will share. They all help make life so much more enjoyable.